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Tag Archives: friend of god

yesterday was one of those rainy days. not the kind that have a torrential downpour and then it’s sunshine again. but the kind that it just drizzles all day long. dark clouds and damp earth and raindrops on everything. the air is humid and a little cold and the sky seems to be so close.. as if it’s trying to hold you in an embrace.
i love days like that. they make me want to sit at a coffeeshop and read. or talk to friends. and thats exactly what i did yesterday. i finished reading a book called “crazy love” by francis chan. and i’m going to share a little bit of it with you because it’s just that good.
“A person who is obsessed with Jesus is more concerned with his or her character than comfort. Obsessed people know that true joy doesn’t depend on circumstances or environment; it is a gift that must be chosen and cultivated, a gift that ultimately comes from God (James 1:2-4).” -Crazy Love, by Francis Chan

“A person who is obsessed with Jesus knows that the best thing he can do is to be faithful to his Savior in every aspect of his life, continually saying, “Thank you!” to God. An obsessed person knows there can never be intimacy if he is always trying to pay God back or work hard enough to be worthy. He revels in his role of child and friend of God.” -Crazy Love, by Francis Chan

i feel like i could quote the whole book on here, but i won’t. why don’t you just read it and then you’ll understand why? :) Crazy Love. love is crazy. especially when you think of it that an all-powerful, perfect, holy and incredible God choses to love us, relentlessly, unselfishly, and unendingly? that is crazy.

what if we dared to love him back? what if we dared to open up our hearts and accept that crazy love he offers so freely and desires so deeply to give? what if we stopped trying to earn his love, but actually just stopped and accepted it? not trying to prove anything? realizing that we could never, ever, ever earn it.

“There comes a moment when people who have been dabbling in religion (Man’s search for God), suddenly draw back. Supposing we really found Him? We never meant for it to come to that! Worse still, supposing He had found us?” -C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

are we scared of finding God? scared of Him finding us? of showing him the raw core of us?
“People who are obsessed (with Jesus) are raw with God; they do not attempt to mask the ugliness of their sins or their failures. Obsessed people don’t put it on for God; He is their safe place, where they can be at peace.” -Francis Chan, Crazy Love

the only way we could love him back like that – crazy, obsessively, is by accepting his love into our beings, our souls, the core of who we are. and he is just waiting for us to do it. for real.

We love, because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19

don’t be scared to accept that love. i know it can be hard sometimes. to accept love. especially from a God that big. but you’ll never regret it if you do. never.
-beth

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